The Demonicus: Hell's Pirate
by Pcano94
Summary: After suffering serious wounds in another universe, Peidro wakes up to a new universe on a place known as the Grand Line, and meets Aleera, an aspiring pirate. After receiving a grim warning about a planet destroying phenomenon's arrival in 2 years, Aleera and Peidro decide to join the Straw Hat Pirates and try to change the planet's fate, risking their own. OC-centered fic.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. This wonderful series is owned by Eiichiro Oda. I only own my Original Characters.**

_**This is my first fanfic. Please read and give feedback! **_

* * *

_**The**__** Demonicus: Hell's Pirate**_

** Chapter 1: A New Universe**

_"You will never have her, Demonicus. And you will not leave this Universe alive!" _

"Arceus!"

Peidro's eyes snapped open and he was about to stand up, but a large surge of pain flowed throughout his abdominal and chest area, causing him to sit up slowly. Wincing and growling in pain, he began to take in his surroundings. He was in a small, dimly lit room, on a very soft, twin-sized bed. Next to the bed was a small window, which was covered by curtains. Across the bed was a small desk that had the only artificial source of light in the room resting upon it, along with two trays: one had what seemed to be medical utensils and bandages and the other had food. There was a shelf situated adjacently to the desk, filled partially with books about pirates and navigating, but most of them were about old legends. The door to exit the room was across the shelf, and partially open. There was audible activity beyond the door and a very delectable smell wafted through the air, but Peidro ignored them.

Peidro looked down at his body. There were bandages everywhere, surrounding his entire upper body all the way to his wrists. He picked up the sheets he was under. His tattered black pants were still on, but his black gi and ornamented combat boots were gone along with his black hellborn leather trench coat. He scrutinized the room once again for a sign of them. There was none. Sighing deeply, he stood up and walked towards the desk.

Now, he managed to see the rest of his clothing, except his trench coat. His red undershirt and black gi were neatly folded on the chair's seat and his black ornamented combat boots were under it. Smirking, Peidro bent down slowly to gather his belongings. He first grabbed his boots and put them on. Then he grabbed his undershirt and gi and unfolded them. They were still ripped, but there was obvious evidence that someone tried to sew the clothing back together, and whoever did that had little success. Smiling lightly this time, Peidro imagined that person attempting to piece back his clothing, pulling his or her hair out because the material of his clothing was far different from normal human clothing.

Peidro then put his tattered clothes over the bandages. He was now in his full clothing, but a small part of his mind nagged at him that something was missing. With a soft "ha!" he remembered his fingerless fighting gloves and his trusty armor bracelet. He began searching quietly through the table and on the small counter beside the bed. He found nothing. Straining his face slightly, he attempted to remember the possible locations of his fighting gloves and bracelet.

'_Damn. Where could those things possibly be?' _thought Peidro.

He couldn't have left them at Cynthia's villa over at Undella Town, and he sure as hell could not have left them at his friend Sabrina's mansion over at Saffron City. Where else could they be?

Then it hit him. They were in a pocket in his trench coat! Now, all he needed was to find it. But where was it?

Growling softly, Peidro walked towards the door. Whoever took care of him must have taken his trench coat. If that person attempts anything funny with his prized possessions, he or she would know the wrath of the King of Hell himself! But no, whoever took care of him was nice enough to actually pick him up from wherever he landed and brought him here to his or her house for care. Peidro was grateful for that fact. He knew that if the person was just a plain asshole, he or she would just leave him there to die. Of course, he wouldn't die due to the fact that he had sustained wounds far worse than what Arceus had given him and actually lived to tell the tale. The elaborately shaped scar on his right eye was testament to that fact. He was on the receiving end of a God's onslaught and managed to get out of it with that scar.

Peidro faced the mirror on top of the desk, anger showing plainly in his face. He remembered the incident vividly in his mind and it infuriated him. How could he let himself be defeated by Arceus?! Granted, Arceus had the help of the Creation Trio, but nevertheless, Peidro should've firmly had the upper hand in that fight. Where did the fight start to shift in favor of the Legendary Pokémon? It was impossible! He had everything calculated. There was no way that Arceus could've gained that much power in just 1,000 years! He even managed to break through the visor of his special armor, which was supposed to be unbreakable!

'_Calm down, Peidro. Think straight. It doesn't matter that he defeated you this time. He did it with help. That coward did it with HELP!' _he roared in his head.

Growling slightly louder this time, Peidro focused his attention on his tattered clothing. Breathing heavily, he attempted to relax. A small spell should be enough to stitch back his clothing, so that wouldn't be too much of a problem. The bigger problem would be fixing his armor. The material was rather difficult to come by, as it was only found near the Pits of Inferno, an extremely dangerous place even for a fully grown, fully powered Super Demonicus like himself. This was going to be difficult.

But he would save that for later. Now, what he needed most was to find out where he was and find a way back to Nimbasa City. Oh, and he needed to heal as well. He might be a hardhead sometimes, but Peidro was no fool. He knew that if he rushed into battle in his present conditions, he would be annihilated by Arceus. He had to play it smart: heal, get stronger, and make an epic return for revenge. That would be the safest course of action.

With that set in mind, Peidro focused his energy into his clothes.

"_Remendado,"_ he muttered softly. His torn clothes began to stitch back together at a slow, steady pace. After a few seconds, the clothes were back to normal. Now he could focus on finding his trench coat.

The sound of a door opening rang throughout the room. Slightly alarmed, Peidro rotated towards the room door, hand raised, ready to launch an energy blast. But the door was still semi-ajar. It wasn't this door that was opening. It was most likely the front door of the house. Whoever was making the delectable food had left the premises.

Peidro cast out his senses, trying to pick up any energy signatures inside the house. There were none. Judging it as a good time to exit the room, he made his way to the door.

A rather humble sight greeted his eyes when he opened the door. In front of him was a small, well-lit living room with blue walls and a sofa to Peidro's right. When he stepped out, he noticed a counter sitting to the left of the door, and on top of it sat a few frames with pictures of a young girl and her father outside a small house. Peidro leaned closer to examine one of the pictures. There was no sign of a mother. The girl looked like she was 5 years old in the picture. She had shoulder length, ruby red hair and wore a plain white dress with white sandals. She had a lopsided straw hat on her head, and also had an ear-to-ear smile plastered on her face. Her eyes were closed, so Peidro couldn't see their color. The man to her left had the same red hair as the little girl, but shorter; three slash scars ran through his left eye. He was clad with a white button-up shirt open down to his abdominal area, showcasing his well-toned, muscular chest. He wore calf length black pants and sandals. He also had a black cloak wrapped on top of his shirt. His right hand was on the straw hat. His left hand was ruffling his hair. He had the same wide smile as the little girl on his face.

Peidro couldn't help but smile slightly. A father and a daughter, it seems. It brought back memories.

His smile disappeared, replaced by a look of hatred. It brought back memories of that day, 15 million years ago. Peidro's energy began to flare up, causing the floor to shake slightly.

He stopped suddenly, when he felt an energy signature come close to the house. It didn't feel like the owner of this place, so Peidro shrugged it off and continued exploring the small home. He then walked towards the counter that was situated straight ahead from the bedroom door, and into the small kitchen. A pot was sitting on top of a flame, and steam rose off the top vehemently.

'_Smells great. Whoever this person is must be a pretty good cook,' _thought Peidro. '_Better not touch it, though.' _

Peidro walked around the house again, completely lost in thought and oblivious to a coat hanger that had his trench coat and was situated close to the front door. Once he actually noticed the coat, he face palmed and walked towards it.

It seemed that his trench coat was still in pristine condition, just how he likes it. He grabbed it and began inspecting the inner pockets. He found the bracelet and his gloves inside the left pocket. He quickly took them out and inspected them. The bracelet seemed to be okay, and so did the gloves. He paid closer attention to the bracelet. It was small, metallic, and had small runes embedded on it.

He strapped the bracelet on his right wrist and brought it close to his mouth.

"_Infernum Arma," _Peidro muttered to it. Instantly, the bracelet began to shine. A sleek black and red armor materialized on Peidro. The gauntlets had elongated finger slots that ended sharply to accommodate the claws that grew out of a Super Demonicus' fingers. A helmet surrounded his head, but it was broken.

'_I guess this isn't as bad as I thought. The visor is the weakest part of the armor. The rest is pretty much indestructible. Well, the solution is simple… get rid of the helmet,' _Peidro mused in his mind.

Peidro placed his hands on both sides of his helmet and pulled it out. He studied the broken visor once again.

"I really liked that visor… Let's see. I have to remove this helmet from the bracelet schematic. How was it again?" Peidro spoke to himself while he surrounded the helmet in a bright blue light.

"Ah yes… _Remova Arma Vista…" _ he chanted softly. The helmet was now surrounded in a red light, and it began to disintegrate slowly. After it was over, Peidro examined the rest of his armor.

Deducing that it was in pristine condition, Peidro chanted, "_Infernum Arma Sella." _

The armor began to recede from all parts of his body, all of it headed towards that little bracelet that was now visible on his right wrist.

'_Now that that's done, I have to find out where am I and locate either Cynthia or Sabrina,' _thought Peidro, putting on his coat. He furrowed his brows in concentration, casting out his senses to try to detect any large power levels.

Peidro received a slight shock. There were power levels, and many of them were pretty decent, but none of them were familiar. In fact, all of the highest power levels were human. There wasn't a single Pokémon energy signature in this entire planet. To make things worse, neither Cynthia's nor Sabrina's energy signatures were located.

Now Peidro was intrigued. The only explanations available for this little phenomenon were that he was sent to another planet or to another universe entirely. He sincerely hoped it was just to another planet, because in his present condition, making a Universal Leap would bring grave consequences to his health, and he sure as hell didn't want that.

Sighing deeply, Peidro paced around the living room. He was deep in thought once again for a few minutes, until his train of thought was interrupted by a very familiar, female voice.

"Lord Peidro!" the voice said. She sounded anxious. A smile appeared on Peidro's serious features.

"_Aperiant Infernum!" _Peidro said while lifting his right hand up. A bright, red portal appeared in front of Peidro. A beautiful, young woman's face was on the other side. Her skin was light-colored, and it seemed very soft. She had shoulder length brown hair with one strand hanging lower, vibrant sapphire oceans for eyes and perfectly rosy lips.

"Tafariel…" Peidro answered simply.

"My lord! Thank goodness I've found you! I was so worried when we couldn't detect your energy signature in Universe 09. We thought you were murdered by Arceus!" Tafariel said, relief apparent in her voice.

"Now now, Tafariel. There's no need to worry. I am fine," Peidro smirked, containing a laugh.

"That's not funny, my lord! You cannot imagine how worried I was about you. You can ask Apocalypse! I cried twice!" Tafariel cried indignantly.

Now Peidro laughed. Tafariel just looked at him with a shocked expression.

"Tafariel, how long was I gone? A year?" Peidro asked mockingly. Tafariel pouted slightly.

"My lord, it's been 2 months since your last report to us. And when we couldn't detect your energy signature last week, it all went downhill!" she stated, her voice volume increasing with every word.

"Tafariel! There's nothing to worry about! I am fine! Can't you see?" Peidro retorted, losing his patience slightly. Tafariel opened her mouth to argue, but he raised his right hand, rendering her silent. "Look, Tafariel. I'm alive. For me, that's all that matters. And that's all that should matter to you. Nothing else, am I clear?"

Tafariel nodded, looking very hurt.

"Good… Now, I want to know where I am and if I'm still in Universe 09." Peidro continued, apparently ignoring her expression.

"My lord, you're not in Universe 09 anymore," Tafariel confirmed. "Our sensors and the I.L. state that you are currently in Universe 25."

"Universe 25? How the hell did I manage to get here?" Peidro asked, mostly to himself.

"We think that after you received the worse part of Arceus' attack, you subconsciously performed a Universal Leap all the way to Universe 25, which explains the sharp decrease in your energy output and the worsening of your health."

"Seems legit. Hmm… I haven't really taken a look at the wounds, but judging by the way I feel I estimate that it will be about a few months before I can make a Universal Leap without adverse effects. The severity of the wounds might extend the wait or shorten it. It depends. All I know is that whoever treated me saw it fit to wrap my entire upper body in bandages," said Peidro, furrowing his brow slightly. Tafariel gasped.

"My lord…"

"Personally, I don't think it could've been that bad. I'll check on my wounds in a bit," Peidro interrupted.

Silence ensued between the pair. A decent power level was approaching the house. It was the owner of the house.

"Tafariel, there's not much time. I want you and the others to keep a close eye on Universe 09 while I recover. Report to me everything that may seem crucial to you. If nothing relevant happens, then report to me every week. Understood?" Peidro said.

"Loud and clear, my lord. I will tell the rest. But there is something that is very crucial, and it pertains to Universe 25," Tafariel answered, looking away momentarily.

"Well, spit it out!" Peidro said, slightly impatient.

"Well, you might not believe this, but…" began Tafariel, but was interrupted by a door opening.

Peidro spun around to find a young girl, about 5 feet and 7 inches tall, looking at him with wide, fiery red eyes. Her shoulder length, ruby red wavy hair matched beautifully with her eyes and contrasted perfectly with her light skin tone. Her lips were slightly thin and pink. She wore a black tank top with "Yonko" inscribed across her well-developed chest in red letters that revealed her belly button, white pants with a red sash around her middle. She wore a black cloak and had a sheathed katana strapped to her left hip.

'_So that's the color of her eyes…' _thought Peidro. '_They're beautiful.'_

"Oh," said the girl, surprise evident in her voice. "I didn't know that you were awake already! I'm so glad you are fine!"

"Eh? You are my caretaker?" asked Peidro, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah," she replied, totally ignoring the fact that a bright red portal was right in the middle of her living room.

"I'm Aleera."

* * *

_**Thanks for reading! **_


	2. Chapter 2:

_**Here's Chapter 2! **_

_**I will try to update every two weeks. If that can't happen, the latest will be every month. I will try to make every chapter have a minimum of 2500 words. **_

_**Read and Review, please!**_

* * *

**Chapter 2: Aspiring Pirate Aleera and the Doomsday Forecast**

Peidro smiled.

"Aleera, huh?" Peidro said. "That's a beautiful name."

"Uh, thanks…" Aleera replied, reddening slightly. "What's your name?"

"The name's Peidro," he replied, extending his hand towards Aleera. She took it, smiling sheepishly. He then signaled towards the portal. "This is Tafariel, my advisor and close friend."

"Peidro, Tafariel, it's so nice to meet you!" said Aleera, waving towards Tafariel.

"The pleasure is all mine," Peidro replied, then turned towards Tafariel.

"It's nice to meet you too, Aleera," Tafariel said, giving Peidro a warning look that he ignored. He then rotated towards Aleera.

"How do you feel? How are your wounds?" asked Aleera, not noticing Tafariel's look.

Peidro furrowed his brows slightly, as if in deep thought. "Well… I actually haven't looked at my wounds, but I feel great!"

Shock was apparent in Aleera's eyes as she surveyed Peidro.

"Are you sure, Peidro?" Aleera questioned. "I mean, when I looked at your wounds, they seemed pretty intense."

"I'm entirely sure," Peidro reassured.

"How do you know if you haven't even looked at them?" she insisted, placing her cloak on the hanger. She removed her katana and placed it beside the hanger, then turned and walked towards Peidro.

"Well, describe them to me," Peidro answered. "How do they look like? How big are they? How deep are they?"

"You have 2 thick, long, deep slash wounds diagonally placed along your chest and abdomen. They are parallel to each other," Aleera stated. Peidro raised an eyebrow in apparent amusement. "Plus, you have many other cuts throughout your back and arms, but those pale in comparison to these horrible slashes," she continued, pointing at his chest.

"Well… that sounds interesting. Now I actually want to look at them," Peidro smirked, leaving Aleera shocked and dumbfounded. "But not right now. First, tell me how and where you found me. And I would also like to know where I'm at."

"Actually, I want to know why there's a face floating in my room. What device is this? How does it work?" Aleera questioned, pointing towards Tafariel. Peidro turned.

"This is what we call a Universal Transceiver," Peidro replied, earning another warning glare from Tafariel. He gave her a soothing look and waved his right hand slowly, almost imperceptibly. She seemed placated by this gesture. She knew that he knew what he was doing. He wouldn't allow their true identities to be revealed to a normal human girl.

"A Universal Transceiver?" repeated Aleera, brows raised. "What's that? And who's _we_?"

"The Universal Transceiver, or UT, is a planetary communication device that my kingdom uses to communicate across vast distances. The range of this device is incredible. It allows us to communicate across the entire planet like this," Peidro explained, pointing towards the portal. "When you use the UT, the person who you are communicating with appears like that, with only the face showing. They only see your face, as well. It's a rather useful device, if you ask me. This thing has saved my ass on numerous occasions due to its Instant Lock-on feature, or IL."

"Instant Lock-on?" further queried Aleera, narrowing her eyes slightly. He seemed to be avoiding her last question. Peidro nodded.

"Yes, Instant Lock-on. It's like a Global Positioning System, or GPS. Have you heard of that before?" Aleera shook her head. He smiled slightly. "Well, what the IL does is locate whoever you're searching for. The range of this feature is the same as the UT. It works by focusing on a special point possessed by every living being called an Energy Signature."

Noticing Aleera's confused look, Peidro continued, "An Energy Signature is, at its simplest, Energy. It's known by many different names. A few of these are Ki, Latent Energy, Fighting Power, and Life Force. We know it by two names. One of them, obviously, is Energy, while the other is Vim Vitae. Well, this energy is special. Like I said, every single living being on this planet possesses this kind of energy, including us. You can use energy to increase your speed and strength for battle. You can also use energy to create special attacks called Energy Blasts. Every energy signature is unique, meaning that there are billions of different energy signatures on this planet as we speak. Cool, huh?"

Aleera nodded, surprised and attempting to grasp this entirely new concept of Energy. To a certain extent, it sounded similar to Devil Fruits, but she wasn't entirely sure just how similar these two things were, and there sure as hell weren't billions of different devil fruits. Energy did have a major similarity to Haki, though. According to her father, every living being in the world possesses Haki, but not everyone knows how to use it. Maybe it's the same thing for Energy, as well.

_'So, this means that Peidro and Tafariel possess Haki as well as I do. I wonder which kind of Haki Peidro has control of. Maybe he can control all 3 kinds of Haki, from Observation to the legendary Conqueror's Haki possessed by only one in a million people,_' thought Aleera. _'If he can control the Conqueror's Haki, I wonder how strong it actually is.'_

"Well," Peidro continued, snapping Aleera out of her train of thought, "The Instant Lock-on feature of the UT locates people by focusing on the specific energy signature that the target releases. Once locked on, you get the exact location of your target and the status."

"Wow… that's cool!" Aleera said, her eyes shining. She narrowed them almost instantly afterwards. "But you haven't answered one question. Who's we? And you mentioned a kingdom. Tell me about it."

"An observant one, huh?" Peidro smirked. "Okay, here goes. I'm a king and a warrior."

Aleera covered her mouth with her hands in shock. "You're a k-king?" 'This is unbelievable! This must mean that he can use Conqueror's Haki!'

"Yeah," Peidro replied simply.

"Aren't you a little young to be a king?" Aleera questioned.

"Well, how old do I look to you?" Peidro retorted.

"Um, you look like you're in your early twenties," replied Aleera softly.

"And you're right. I'm 26, actually," Peidro lied, smirking slightly. _'I don't think she'll believe me if I tell her that I'm over 15 million years old.'_

"Wow… how did you become king at such a young age?" Aleera asked, interest flaring up in her intense red eyes.

"It's a long story. I think that's something for later," Peidro replied, making Aleera pout slightly in disappointment. "I think I've spoken enough. Tell me about yourself. I would like to know a bit about the lady who took care of me."

"Well, where do I start?" Aleera wondered, placing her hand on her chin.

"How about your age?" Peidro suggested.

"Okay. I'm 18 years old," Aleera began, sitting down on her couch. Peidro followed suit. Tafariel listened intently, but there was slight anxiety present in her sapphire eyes. Noticing this, Peidro gave her a questioning look, but she didn't seem to notice it.

"I live by myself here in this little village. It's called Oni Village, by the way," Aleera continued, attracting Peidro's attention and earning a small nod from him. "My mother died when I was born, and my father left me here with a trusted friend of his when I was 5 years old. He's currently a pirate sailing the Grand Line. Have you seen the picture there on top of the counter?"

Aleera pointed towards the furniture next to her bedroom door. Peidro nodded and gestured for Aleera to continue.

"Well, that's my dad. His name is Shanks. He's the captain of the Red-Haired Pirates. He's very famous. He's one of the Four Emperors of the New World, the four most powerful pirates on the entire planet," she stated rather proudly. Peidro raised his brows, interested in this little bit of information. If what she said is correct, this Shanks must be one of the higher power levels he sensed earlier.

"Do you have any hard feelings towards him for leaving you here?" inquired Peidro, slight curiosity present in his tone.

"No, of course not!" Aleera replied, chuckling lightly. "In fact, I dream of the day I can set sail into the Grand Line and become a great pirate just like him. And later on, I'll maybe become one of the Four Emperors, if not the Pirate Queen!"

"Well, that's a great dream to have," replied Peidro, eyeing her closely. "And how exactly do you become Pirate Queen?"

"Oh, that's easy!" said Aleera enthusiastically. "All you have to do is find the legendary treasure of the deceased great pirate king Gold Roger, the One Piece!"

"That sounds easier said than done. Do you know where this treasure is?" Peidro inquired, raising his brows slightly.

Aleera looked down slightly, an unreadable expression on her face.

"Well, no, I don't know where it is. But there have been many rumors that it's hidden in the island of Raftel, the last island of the Grand Line," she replied, perking up slightly.

"Rumors, eh? So, basically, you are basing your entire dream of becoming Pirate Queen on rumors? Interesting…" Peidro muttered, looking towards Tafariel.

Aleera was visibly not pleased with this comment. She looked at Peidro for a few seconds and then looked away, frowning slightly. Peidro didn't notice it until he looked at her. He then gave her an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that, honestly," he said softly, standing up, towering over her. "Not once did it cross my mind that my statement would sound like an insult to you and your dream. Forgive me."

Peidro bowed slightly towards Aleera, his right hand on his stomach and his left hand extended away from his body. She could only look at him in surprise, a slight blush creeping towards her cheeks.

"I… N-No one has ever… bowed to me like that," she stammered, standing up as well, her eyes never leaving Peidro's sharp brown ones. "Especially not a king like you."

He gave her a small smile and he ruffled his short, spiky black hair slightly. "Well, I can't believe that someone as pretty as you hasn't had anyone bow to you," he said simply, earning a more pronounced blush from Aleera. Aleera opened her mouth a few times to reply, but no sound would come out.

"Thanks," she replied meekly after a little while, still blushing brightly.

Peidro smiled. "No problem," he replied, his eyes locking with Aleera's for a few seconds. She smiled lightly and looked away.

"Tafariel, is something wrong?" asked Aleera suddenly, prompting Peidro to turn towards his advisor. She still had an anxious look on her eyes, and she was biting her lip slightly.

"Tafariel?" prompted Peidro. "Go ahead. State whatever's bothering you."

"My lord… do you remember what I told you before Aleera came in?" Tafariel asked. Peidro nodded.

"Yes. You said that there was something crucial pertaining to Universe 25," Peidro replied. Realizing his slipup and noticing the harsh glare Tafariel gave him, he face palmed and said, "Sorry, I meant this planet. My bad, Tafariel."

"Universe 25?" Aleera asked softly. Now Tafariel was giving Peidro a death glare. However, instead of flinching as Tafariel intended him to do, he laughed it off.

"It's nothing, Aleera. Don't worry about it," he replied nonchalantly. Aleera looked at him suspiciously.

"Well, back to what we were talking about. Tafariel, please tell me what's going on. What has you so worried about the planet?" Peidro asked Tafariel, ignoring Aleera's stare.

Tafariel hesitated for a few seconds. "Can I tell you this privately?" she asked.

"Is it that serious?" Peidro replied, smirking.

"My lord, this is a matter of life and death," Tafariel answered seriously. Peidro's smile disappeared, replaced by a serious frown. Matters of life and death were of vital importance to Peidro.

"Is it about that place?" asked Peidro, emphasizing the last two words. Tafariel nodded grimly.

"Very well," he replied. He turned to Aleera. "Aleera, I know it's your house. But can you please allow me to speak privately with Tafariel?" he asked her, forcing a small smile.

"Um, sure, Peidro… no problem," Aleera replied, a worried expression on her face. "Is everything alright? What's wrong with the planet?"

"Don't worry about it, Aleera. There's nothing wrong with the planet. All is well. Okay?" Peidro attempted to calm Aleera, but his serious tone and forced smile did not help at all.

Aleera gave Peidro a questioning look. When it seemed that she was about to argue, she nodded. She made her way towards the coat hanger.

"Alright, Peidro. I'll be outside." she said, grabbing her cloak and her katana. "Let me know when you're done. I want to check on your wounds. Okay?"

"Sounds like a plan," Peidro replied. His eyes were glued on Aleera until she exited through the front door of the small house. When the door closed, he turned towards Tafariel, a cold look in his eyes.

"Alright, Tafariel, tell me. What's going on?" he asked. "This must be something very serious if you're acting like this."

"It is, my lord. Trust me, it is," Tafariel answered anxiously.

"Well, what are you waiting for?! Tell me!" Peidro nearly shouted.

Tafariel hesitated once again, earning an angry sigh from Peidro.

"My lord, you are in terrible danger along with the planet. We have detected that a large batch of Hell's Embers is headed straight towards that planet," Tafariel stated quickly.

"WHAT?!" Peidro shouted, his eyes widening. "Hell's Embers? Tafariel, you must be kidding. There is no possible way that the Hell's Embers could be here! It's only known location is in the entrance of the Pits of Inferno. And even there it's very rare. Are you sure about this?"

"My lord, I'm very sure. The sensors don't lie," Tafariel confirmed, causing Peidro to growl in anger.

"Damn it! When is it going to arrive? How big is this batch?" He asked quickly, clenching his fists.

"The batch is large enough to kill 20 adult Super Demonicus with ease. And it's set to arrive in 2 years," Tafariel uttered, looking away from Peidro. It was obvious that her anxiety level was increasing quickly, as if she feared Peidro's answer.

"You have to be shitting me!" Peidro shouted, his energy flaring up, causing the floor to shake and a fiery red aura to surround him. His eyes began to glow a blood-red color. Tafariel gasped in shock.

"My lord, please calm down! Lord Peidro, please stop!" Tafariel cried anxiously.

Hearing her anxious cries, Peidro stopped powering up. He stood there, breathing heavily, trying to bring down his energy output.

Peidro clutched his chest with his right hand immediately after calming down. Immense pain shot throughout his entire chest and abdomen, and he tasted blood in his mouth. He fell to his right knee and left hand, his right one still on his chest and growling harshly in pain. A slender hand appeared and covered Tafariel's mouth. She seemed on the verge of tears.

"My lord, are you alright?!" she cried brokenly. "Stay there. I will go get you right now!"

She seemed to be doing something, but when Peidro raised his right hand, she immediately stopped, her eyes glued on him.

"Damn… the wounds have really taken their toll on me… Fuck!" Peidro snarled forcefully, spitting blood on the floor. "Tafariel, do not come! Stay where you are."

Tafariel opened her mouth to argue, but Peidro beat her to it, "Listen to me Tafariel. I'm going to stay in this universe and wait for the Hell's Embers. I will stop it by any means possible, even if it kills me. You just do what I assigned you to do. Keep your eyes on Universe 09 and report to me weekly. Understood?"

"No, my lord! Please reconsider!" Tafariel answered. Aleera walked in suddenly with an anxious expression on her face. Peidro did not notice her walk in.

"There will be no reconsidering, Tafariel! I am the King of Hell!" Peidro shouted, standing up slowly, wincing in pain. "Everything having to do with that universe is my responsibility! I'm a Demonicus! If there is a batch of Hell's Embers headed towards this planet as we speak, then it is my job to stop it!"

Tafariel looked at him, wide-eyed, then away from him, towards the front door. Noticing this, Peidro did the same. When he saw Aleera there, staring at him with a horrified expression, he rolled his eyes, sighed heavily and placed his left hand on his forehead.

_'Damn… I shouldn't have said that with that much conviction,'_ Peidro thought.

"You… y-you're t-the K-King of H-H-Hell?" Aleera stammered, stepping back when he tried to approach her.

"Damn… Tafariel, thanks for the warning. You can rest assured. I will be fine," he said, turning towards Tafariel and giving her a small, reassuring smile.

"Very well, my lord," Tafariel replied, wiping a few tears that fell from her eyes. "I know everything will be alright. It is you, after all. Take care, my lord. I will report to you next week at this time."

"Sounds like a plan," he said, giving her a thumbs-up.

With that, the portal suddenly burst into intense flames that shrank quickly until they completely disappeared. Some of the heat released by the flames lingered through the air. Sighing deeply once again, Peidro turned towards Aleera.

"Aleera…" he began.

"Don't talk to me!" she shouted, taking a few steps away from him. "Get away from me, you monster!"

"Aleera, I'm not going to hurt you…" Peidro said, attempting to sound soothing, but failing due to the iciness mixed in his voice. He had inexplicable anger flowing through him. He blamed it on the Hell's Embers and on his wounds.

"How do I know that?" she yelled, unsheathing her katana. "You're a demon! You come from the most horrifying place known to mankind! You just want to destroy everything! I'll kill you!"

Holding the katana with her two hands, she lunged at him, a war cry escaping her lips. She closed her eyes while slashing horizontally, but opened them immediately after her attack was blocked by something. She was utterly shocked when she saw that he blocked her attack with his left hand. Moreover, he was unharmed by her attack. Not a single drop of blood was shed by the blade of her sword.

_'This can't be. How did he block my attack with his bare hand?'_ thought Aleera desperately. _'I am wielding one of the 12 Saijo O Wazamono swords. His hand should have been severed cleanly! Did he use Haki?'_

Peidro gave Aleera a death glare, causing her blood to run cold. With his left hand still on the blade, he pushed her back. She flew halfway across the living room before falling on her back near the coat hanger. Aleera propped herself back up with her elbows, growling slightly, her sword in her right hand.

_'Holy crap, he's strong!'_ she thought. _'How the hell did he do that? He's injured! If he did that with apparent ease, something tells me that this is nowhere near his full strength.'_

Aleera was just about to get up when Peidro appeared right in front of her. She cried in shock when he grabbed her shirt with his left hand, lifted her and then slammed her into the wall, pinning her there. The impact caused her to drop her sword.

Aleera cried in pain then glared daggers at Peidro. He returned the glare.

"Kill me, you damn monster!" she screamed, flailing her arms at him. "Do it!"

Peidro did nothing but hold her in place. Aleera stopped hitting him and looked him straight in the eyes. Something about his eyes made her stop. She couldn't pinpoint what, though.

Suddenly, Peidro threw his right hand away from his body and almost closed it, as if he was grasping something. Fire began to appear in his hands, shocking Aleera. She stared, wide-eyed, at the flames that were beginning to take the shape of… a sword's hilt.

Aleera whimpered softly when a pitch-black hilt solidified before her eyes as the flames progressed further away from his hand. When the flames reached the hand guard, they went in separate directions and began to form what seemed like devil wings. When the flames left that section of his sword, the wings were pitch-black like the hilt, but there were three spikes on both ends that were blood-red and they pointed towards the forming blade. The top half of a black horned skull was right at the center of the hand guard on both sides of the blade, with the upper teeth of the skull forming a circle right at the center. A blood-red orb was right in between the teeth.

Aleera could only stare with a horrified expression at the finished product of the flames. The blade of the sword was just like the hilt and hand guard. It was a predominantly pitch-black colored wide split blade. Close to the hand guard, there was a pointy edge on the sharp side of the blade, then it leveled out until close to the top, where there was a wider edge, giving the sword a much more menacing look. Intricate blood-red designs ran throughout the entirety of the blade.

Peidro brought up his sword to Aleera's neck with blinding speed. Aleera gasped, expecting a very hot blade to touch her skin. But she was met with a rather cold blade, as if the flames that spawned it failed to leave any heat on it.

"So you are going to kill me…" she stated coldly. "As expected from a demon."

"Tell me something, Aleera," Peidro retorted, just as cold. "Why the fuck would I kill the person that saved my life? The person that spent days of her life caring for some unconscious wounded stranger she found in the middle of a burnt forest clearing while on her daily training routines. Tell me. _Why_?!"

"H-How do you know that?" Aleera asked, horrified.

"I read your mind, Aleera. I read your mind!" Peidro shouted at her. With that, he took away his sword from her neck and released his vice grip on her, which began to get painfully tight. She slowly slid down to the ground, donning an appalled expression once again. Her eyes were glued to the ground and she hugged her legs close to her chest.

Peidro sighed heavily. Flames surrounded his sword once again and disintegrated it. He crouched right in front of Aleera.

"Peidro…" she began shakily.

"Aleera," Peidro interrupted, now kneeling and lifting her chin with his thumb and index finger. "I would never hurt you Aleera. Without you, I would be dead right now! You are the reason I'm alive right now. I owe you my life, and you have my gratitude. Do you think I would repay the person that saved my life by hurting her?"

Aleera looked up at him, not believing what she just heard. Never in her life has she heard or read of a demon showing gratitude or not hurting someone. She just couldn't believe it. If someone were to tell her that there actually were demons like this, she would call him crazy. The concept of this was just plain unorthodox, not to mention impossible. But it was happening. One of the most evil beings in existence was actually now kneeling in front of her telling her that he wouldn't hurt her and that she had his gratitude for saving his life. And the sincerity in his eyes was overwhelming. It crossed her mind many times that these past few days were just a dream… an extremely realistic and long dream.

She shivered slightly when she felt him caress her chin softly. It looked like she wanted to say something, but kept hesitating to do so.

"Do you… do you mean it?" Aleera finally asked, rather brokenly. "You're not going to hurt me?"

"Of course I mean it, Aleera," Peidro replied, smirking lightly. She locked eyes with him.

"I don't understand," she stated. "I mean, you're a demon, not to mention the king of them all. Why are you showing gratitude to a mere human like me? Why don't you want to hurt me? I've been told that demons are the most evil beings in existence."

"Don't believe everything people say, Aleera," Peidro said, a small smile still on his face. "It's much better to find things out yourself. You're not just a 'mere human' like you stated. I see great potential in you, and I am compelled to help you reach that. That's why I'm not hurting you."

Aleera smiled back at him. Peidro now stood up, towering ever more greatly over her in her current position. He extended his right hand towards her, which she shakily took. With inhuman speed, Aleera was back on her feet, the dust on her clothes being patted off by Peidro. She blushed brightly when he accidentally hit her butt.

"Sorry about that," he said, backing away with his hands held up. "You should do that yourself."

"Yeah…" she said, still blushing. "Thanks."

"For what?" he inquired.

"For not hurting me and for offering to help me reach the potential you see in me," she replied, locking eyes with him once more.

Peidro closed his eyes for a moment. When Aleera was about to ask if something was wrong, he placed his hand on her shoulders, opened his eyes and gave her a genuine smile.

"No problem, Aleera," he said.

Out of pure whim, Aleera wrapped her arms around Peidro's waist and buried her face in his chest. Initially surprised by this, Peidro reciprocated the gesture, chuckling slightly.

The moment was interrupted when an elderly man burst into the house, breathing heavily. It became apparent that this man had come from a fair distance in a full sprint. He was sweating all over, and his soaked solid blue T-shirt and shorts was evidence of it. His white hair was messy all over as well. His brown shoes had leaves and small twigs all over them, hinting that he was in a dense forest or forest path.

Aleera lifted her face from Peidro's chest, never breaking the embrace. When she recognized the old man, Aleera broke the hug and rushed to him. Peidro stood there, surveying the man expressionlessly.

"Lorenzo, are you okay?" asked Aleera worriedly. "What's going on?"

"Aleera…" Lorenzo huffed, his hands on his knees and his chest heaving. He looked up at her with a scared expression. "P-Pirates! Here in the village!"

"Pirates?" Aleera repeated. Peidro raised a brow, interested.

"Yes, Aleera. Pirates are here on the island!" Lorenzo confirmed. "And they are not just any pirates! They're the Straw Hat Pirates!"

"The Straw Hat Pirates?!" Aleera repeated again, shocked. Peidro now faced Aleera and Lorenzo fully. His interest had grown considerably when he saw Aleera's reaction to the mere mention of these pirates.

"Are these pirates strong?" inquired Peidro with a bored tone.

"Strong is an understatement. Their captain, Straw Hat Luffy, has a bounty of 30 million belis!" Lorenzo nearly shouted, gawking at Peidro's indifferent expression.

"I'm guessing that's a lot of money," spoke Peidro. Lorenzo nodded quickly.

"That doesn't matter," said Aleera, picking up her sword. "I'm going to the village. Peidro, stay here. I'll be back."

"Nah, I think I'll go with you," Peidro replied. Aleera looked at him, surprised.

"Why?" she asked, ready to argue and give reasons why he shouldn't go.

"I just want to see how strong they really are."

* * *

_**Thanks for reading!**_


End file.
